What can I say about Iva? She was my first borzoi and my vehicle to the development of a deep
love for this breed. Iva was incredibly intelligent. This intelligence led to some rather unusual problems, like the
time she opened the back yard faucet while I was out of town. Even when she was old and ill, she would entertain
herself by playing mind games with me. The main game was "Make Nancy Get Out Of Her Chair So Iva Can Claim It And
Win." I mean, I am a member of the Homo sapiens species, reportedly one of, if not, the most intelligent animal on this
planet, yet Iva found various ways to make me get out of my chair so she could "steal" it. And I was used to her! I
always had to brace myself for the stories pet sitters would tell me after my return from a trip. Iva loved to
manipulate people. She excelled at it. No matter how thoroughly I briefed the pet sitter, Iva always managed to wrap
them around her dew claw. Like the time she convinced the pet sitter that she could not possibly sleep wherever she
was causing the pet sitter to spend a great deal of time trying to accommodate to Iva's every need. It is not like her
victims were novices to the ways of dogs, Iva was just that good.
Iva and I came to an understanding early in
our relationship (mostly because I am just as stubborn as she was) and we formed a deep bond of love, trust, and
mutual respect that lasted almost 12 years. She had a wonderful cheerful and mischievous outlook on life that never
stopped surprising me and making me laugh. No rule pertained to her: how could it, she was Iva, The Magnificent. Iva,
with my Afghan Hound Savitar, taught me that it was imperative to be absolutely fair when working with sighthounds.
They understand what is fair and what is not in very definite terms which creates a need for a lot of well thought out
action on the part of the human. Iva was never a dependant or a servant, she was a partner. I got
really spoiled.
Iva had some really nice features. She had a very nicely formed U shaped under jaw and had a
very nice, tight scissors bite throughout her life. She also had a great rear assembly with a nice broad parallel
rear. She was also a spotted dominant black, a color very rare in the US at the time. No matter her other qualities
(which were numerous) Iva was not show quality. She had a front that was a lesson on how NOT to move when gaiting
toward the judge. Her horrendous front movement caused her rear movement to be less than ideal. Iva also had very
expressive high set ears that would either lie back tightly against her skull almost touching at the tips or prick up
rather dramatically, there was no in between state. And since many things were of interest to Iva, she pricked those
ears a lot. She also had a similarly dramatic gay ringed tail. I often joked that she learned how to carry her tail
from my Afghan Hound, but I really doubt if she needed any help at all.
However, because she was a rare color,
my purchasing agreement with Francie Stull was that Iva would be bred to the stud of her choice and she would keep
half the litter and/or all the dominant black pups in the litter. After losing entry money for
three obedience shows due to Iva's perfectly timed heat, I figured that it was time to meet my obligation so I could get
it over with. Francie chose Kristull Xxerces Kenric as the stud and the two were wed. Iva gave birth to the
Celestial A litter on February 2, 1987 to eight puppies. My pick puppy had to go to Francie because she was dominant
black. This was Mara who was later sold to Mary Childs. Mara was the foundation for Mary Childs's very successful
dominant blacks. Through Mara's offspring and later descendants, Iva's heritage has spread throughout the
US and beyond.
Iva was a very healthy dog throughout her life. However, Iva did bloat, but she did not torsion. She never bloated again. She
suffered from periodic bouts of neck pain which prevented me from participating in upper levels of obedience and
agility because she couldn't handle the jumps. This problem may have been why she did not run even though her mother
and grand mother were both accomplished lure coursers. She would willingly run very fast in a straight line, but she
would always pull up when she turned. We learned how to manage this problem so that she could enjoy life. Iva died just six months shy of her 12th birthday due to
metastasized adenocarcinoma that started in her mammary glands. I miss this dog more than I can say. The years we had
together were not enough, not even close. But the gifts she gave me stay with me and she keeps making me laugh, even
now, through her memories.
Iva taught me many things about breeding. First, she taught me that one needs to
take the responsibility of breeding very seriously because you never know what the impact any one dog will have on the
breed. Second, Iva taught me that while probably not advisable, one can still breed a lesser quality dog and with
judicious breeding produce high quality animals. Third, an active lure coursing career can help select for functional structure, but only if one is
honest with themselves about what one sees. Also an active career in such activities as advanced level obedience and
agility can provide similar selection assistance. Fourth, even if a dog bloats but does not torsion, they can still produce bloat.
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